Link belt



R. w. DuLL.. LINK BELT. APPLICATION FILI-IIJ JIINE 20, 1919. RENEWEI) FEB. HIJ-M922.-v

1,411,995. ,Patnm Apr. 4, 1922.

similar purposes.

` LINK BELT.

To all fwtom t may concern;

Be it known that I, RAYMOND lV. DULL, a: citizen ot the United States ot America, andf a resident of Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain .new and useful lniprovement inv Link Belts, otwhich the' following lis a speciiic'a'tion.

This invention relates toflinkbelts for use 1n 'transnnttin'g power, 1n any suitable or desiredv manner, lsuch as Vthose employed Aforexa'rnple, inthe construction 0f endless conveyers or'elevators, and for various other Generally stated, the objectY oic the inv`ention is to provide an improved construction wherebylink belts of this general character may be manufactured in large quantities by machinery, without the' ynecessity "of lmanu;-

'ally assembling the links, s'o that the cost.

of production will be materially reduced, and whereby the' chain will at the same time -be strong and' serviceableinuse.

YIt is also an object to provide certain details and features ,ofY constructiony tending to "increase the general lefficiency and the vserificeability of a link belt of this particular character, and having certain other advantages, as will hereinafter inoreviully ap-V pear. 1 n

To theseV and other useful ends theinven- Y tion'consists; in matters hereinafter'set `forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which# wire together.

Fig. 3- is a longitudinal"section on line 3 3 in Fig."1.' I

Fig. l is a plan of the sheet met-al blank from which the intermediate links are made.

Fig. 5V isa perspective of one of the alternate `links which are made from. rods or wires. Y y l As thus illustrated, each alternate link is madefroni Va rod or wirerof suitable length and has parallel sides 1, a'continuous transverse or end portion 2, and transverse Vend portions 3 which have out-turned ends 4 formed by bending the ends of lthe rod o r Thus a joint 5 is formed where the two ends of the rodV or wire are brought together and bent outwardly, and this joint may be narrower wide, depending upon the requirements; but, as shown, the

Spelcicaten ofv Letters Patent.

l A Patented Apr. 4,1922.

- Application led-Turrey 20, 1919i, Serial No. 305,551, 'Renewed Februar-y 17, 1922. ,Serial No 537,359.

joint' vis narrow, and preferably Jformed by bringing the two-end portions oi the lrod er wire" entirely. together, or as close asl possible.

The intermediate or Vsheet metal links are formed from -blanks such asthe one shown in Fig. 4, and each"A sheet inet-al link has a curved end portion 6 Vwhich eXtendspa-rti'alfly around the end portion-2 of one or' the alter'- -nate1links,.and a curved'en'd portion 7 which extends around the portions 3 oiy the alternatelink..Theportion' 7 is also provided 'with-a notch 8 to' receive the end pcrtions/l .of the alternate link, so that the shoulders 9 9 formed fat opposite sides ofthe-joint v5 `are engaged by the" edges ltr-1,0 oi'said notch, thus kpreve'nting said joint' from spreading or opening whenthe'chain v or link belt is under strain.l f

. W'ith this construction, Yeach'rshleet link is free to turn on theportion. 2 offene of the alternatelinks, and' thus has freearticulation" at this point', but with the construe"- tio'n showneaeh sheett nietallink is l'o'cke`d`,or,` practical-ly locked, against pivotalV motion or 'articulation relatively to`V the "endportion 3 of the otheralternatelinklso thatvthe end portions 2 :practically provide the only` pivetal points or. points ofarticulationl in the z Y. i' .'85 V:The sheet 'metal links are preferably' as chain whichorms-the link belt.

short as possi-ble,A so that the portions 2 are down-turned' end portions ll-llo'f thel 'sheetf metal links, andthe ends Voi the`V per'- tions lof each alternate link are ralso'fcloseto each held between the portions-6 and:y the the end' port-ion2'oi thev adjaceiity alternate n link; Thusa lvery strongan'd effective "conne'ction is provided between the"- alternate lieke 1 y* i The alternate links are cheaply and'eco# nomfically made yfrom rods or wiresfas stated and afford added; strength,inas1nuch as the tiberof" this sort of4 metal valways extends lengthwise of the rod or wire. as isgvvell The sheet 10e known, Vso that the'links are notk liable to- .break or split at their corners.

metalv for the intermediate link is easily f converted into blanks which are then bent gether', but preferably each alternate link has a notch 12at one side thereof to ypermit the edge 13 of the sheet metal vlink to pass through and slide outwardly, by` turning the two links at right angles to each other, whereby the chain can be taken apart for the purpose o substituting new links when breakage occurs.

What I claim as my invention is: Y

l. In a link belt, the combination of alternate links formed from rods or Wires bent to provide open links of general' rectangular form, the ends of said links being close together, and intermediate links oisheet metal bent to engage the transverse end portions of said alternate links, with portions of the sheet metal inserted edgewise in the small spaces leftbetween the adjacent ends o1':` vsaid alternate links, thereby to form a chain of articulated links Which constitute the belt.

2. A link belt as specified in claiml l, said alternate linkseach having one end thereof formed with a joint where the ends of the rod or wire are turned out and brought together, Vand with a shoulder formed externally at each side of the joint, and each intermediate link having means tol engage said shoulders to prevent'spreading or opening of the joint when the belt is under strain. 3. A link belt as specified in claim 1, each intermediate link beingV substantially held against articulation relatively to one alternate link, and being adapted to articulate freely relatively to the other alternate link connected thereto.

4. A link belt as specified in claim l, one or more of-said alternate links having a joint formed where the ends of the rod or Wire are turned out and brought together, and

one or more of the intermediate links hav- Ving a notch to receive the out-turned ends of the rod or wire, thereby to keep the joint 5. In a link belt, the combination of alter- Y nate links only slightly 'spaced apart, intermediate links to engage the alternate links, forming therewith a chain of links which constitute the belt, and means interposed in the small spaces lett between the adjacent ends of the alternate links for preventing pivoted articulation between them and one end of each intermediate link, the other end of each intermediate link being free to articulate freely on one of the alternate links.

6. In a link'belt, the combination of alternate links only slightly spaced vapart and each having a joint in one end thereoi'the joint oi each link engaging the next link, and intermediate links having means inserted in theJ small spaces left between the adjacent ends of the alternate links to prevent spreading or opening of said joint when the belt is under strain.

7. A structure as specified in claim 1said alternate links having provisions to permit separation from the intermediate links.

8. In a link belt, a series of links' each formed from a length of Wire bent to bring its endg together, and means to connect said links andV hold said ends thereof together to prevent the joint thus formed in each link from opening under strain, with spacing means on each Wire link toengage the next link, said spacing means comprising vthe out-turned projecting ends of the Wire on one transverse end portion of each link.

9. In a link belt, the combination of alternate links Jformed `from rods or Vwires bent to provide open links of general reotangular form, andy intermediate links of sheet metal bent to engage the transverse end portions of said alternate links, thereby to forma chain of articulated links which constitute the belt, said alternate links each` having one end thereof formed with a joint where the ends of the rod or Wire are turned out and brought together, and with a shoulder formed externally at each side of the joint, and each intermediateglink having means to engage said Shoulders to prevent spreading or opening of the joint when the 'Y belt is under strain. f

Y 10. In a link belt, the combination ternate links formed from' rods or wires bent to provide open links of general rectangular form, and intermediate links of .Y

sheet metal bent to engage the transverse end portions of said alternate links,thereby to form a chain of articulated linkswhicli constitute the belt, one orV more of said alternate vlinks having a joint formed Wherethe ends of the rod or Wire are turned out and brought together, and one or more of the intermediate links having a notch to receive the out-turned ends of the Vrod or wire,

thereby tokeep the joint from spreading or j,

opening when the belt is under strain. 

